Making a difference beyond academiaMaking a difference beyond academia

CARE's methodological contribution in the areas of action research and democratic evaluation centres on the notion of participation and engagement by a community beyond academia. This has provided a theoretical base that shapes current impact strategies within the School. We believe that our research should serve a purpose in addressing inequalities in society and education.

CARE encourages academic staff and students to explore critically the terms of their engagement with research participants, their research aims and their intended audiences of research outputs.

The Centre's long experience of exploring ways to engage a wide range of participants in the research process and outputs has resulted in diverse forms of publication, dissemination activities and action-orientated research approaches.

Take a look at some of the ways we've made an impact:

Measuring the working atmosphere in the classroom: a ten point scale

Research by Terry Haydn into the working atmosphere in classrooms has resulted in the Haydn Scale, the most widely used instrument to measure classroom climate from a teacher's perspective. The aim of the scale is to encourage student teachers, teachers and schools to reflect on the influence of classroom climate on teaching and learning. The scale is now used around the world and is included in training for new and in-service teachers.

Children Decide: Power, participation and purpose in the primary classroom

Collaborating with local teachers, Sue Cox and Anna Robinson-Pant, led this participatory, action-orientated project. Children took on the role of action researchers looking at their own decision-making in schools and classrooms. The research has influenced the way in which the participating schools include children in decision-making and has attracted international interest from development agencies in the methodological approach involving children as researchers.

Police Probationer Training

Professor John Elliott led extensive research into Police Probationer training, culminating in a radical new Learning Requirement that was adopted by the Home Office and made obligatory in police forces across England and Wales. The Home Office commissioned the Centre originally to conduct a national review of police probationer training in 1983, which culminated in a new national curriculum. Much later the Home Office commissioned the Review of the Learning Requirement for Police Probationers from jointly led by John Elliott and Professor Saville Kushner at the University of West of England.

NASC (Norwich Area Schools Consortium)

The Norwich Area Schools Consortium (NASC) was one of the Teacher Training Agency's four national consortia designed to restructure the relationship between research and practice in schools.

CARN (Classroom Action Research Network)

Formed in 1976, CARN forged the methodology of action research internationally and engaged educators from across the professions. It continues to engage practitioners in research and publish findings in international refereed journals.

WALS (World Association of Lesson Studies)

The World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS), of which John Elliott was a founding member and former President, is an association which links teachers and academic educators who engaged in actively constructing pedagogical knowledge.